Opinion by Mathew Carr
July 13-14, 2025 — There is not much that more clearly shows the corruption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat than its treatment of Africa’s people.
The convention was established in 1992 in part to protect Africa from climate colonization, after decades of actual colonization….and plenty of continuing actual colonization.
The past 33 years have seen Africa subjected to intensifying shameful behavior by the rich people dominating the UN structure.
Not only have these wealthy folks caused and enabled the climate crisis, they’ve made damned sure that highest democratic institution in the world …the grouping of 200 nations …is too weak to get in the way of their increasing recklessness.
Africa’s climate diplomats are very peeved.
“It is of grave concern to the members of the African Group that, despite 10 years of negotiations since the adoption of the Paris Agreement [in 2015], no progress has been made on recognising the special needs and circumstances of Africa,” they said last week in a letter the UNFCCC.
The group has officially requested (again) that this be put right at climate talks in November in Brazil.
See this snip — full doc below
CarrZee solution:
Africa nations could be given favored status in global carbon markets and in the “pay for performance” grants/programs…alongside …debt-for-nature payments…backdated …and blockchain-protected payments by rich nations / wealthy people to African people that have helped keep global emissions lower than they otherwise would be.
These payments could be funded by taxing wealthy people, or progressive fees on those people who generate too many emissions vs their fair share of the global carbon budget …. preferably backdated to 1992.
There is no climate solution until there’s climate justice.
While Britain moans about 30c (86f) ‘heatwaves’, Africa and much of the rest of the world puts up with a lot worse
Credit: Apple weather app
Simon Stiell, UNFCCC executive secretary, could do worse than learn from Francesca Albanese’s bravery.
(Adds Stiell, heat map)
NOTES
Nearly every map you see downplays Africa and exaggerates the relative importance of North America, Europe, Russia and China
